Leonard Morales

Leonard Morales was born in Tucumcari, New Mexico, on September 8th, 1945. Leonard was the third eldest of a family of eight siblings. He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Odelia Morales, his son Louie Morales, brother Frank Morales, sister Christine Cody (Len), brother Albert Morales, and Aggie Carter (mother-in-law). He is survived by his wife, Barbara Morales; eldest son Len Morales Jr. (fiancee Izzy), daughter Leticia Falla (Raul), Lewis Hoskinson (step-son); his granddaughters, Regina Padilla and Rea Morales; and great-granddaughter Annalisa, and great-grandson Jax; his brother Joe Morales (Gloria), Sister Patricia Cox (Jack), and brothers Michael Morales, Chris Morales and Delma Morales (sister-in-law). He also has countless nieces and nephews, cousins, and second cousins across the United States.

Leonard served in the United States Navy from 1963 to 1967.

Leonard was married to his first wife, Lisa Morales, in 1968 and had two sons, Leonard Jr. and Louie, and a daughter, Leticia. He remained married to Lisa for twenty-five years. While healing from a severe motorcycle injury while with his sister Patricia, he managed to hobble on crutches to Ventura College, where he was able to graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in 1974.

Leonard was a dedicated father who loved raising his children, boating, playing golf, car shows, and camping with family and friends. He spent countless hours as the little league baseball coach and never missed his son's baseball games, wrestling matches, or karate tournaments. Leonard also enjoyed spending time with his friends in the Ventura County Corvette Club, where he served as the club president from 1983 to 1987. He enjoyed going on Corvette runs and being in car shows with his classic Corvette.

Leonard joined Pepsi Bottling Company in 1976 as a service technician. His dedication and hard work saw him rise through the ranks, eventually becoming the service department manager. He also took on the role of general manager of all the Pepsi plants on the West Coast when needed, flying in the private Pepsi corporate plane to visit the multiple Pepsi plants. He continued his service at Pepsi for over 20 years, retiring at fifty-five.

After retiring, Leonard met Barbara, and they got married in 1997. They shared a love for country western dancing, NASCAR races, and watching top-fuel dragsters. They embarked on a journey across the United States, visiting forty-seven of the fifty states. Leonard's love for family and friends was evident in his visits to his cousins and family in New Mexico, his brothers in San Diego, his sister in Ventura, and his extended family in Tennessee. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 4th, his first day in hospice care in Arizona at his son's house